Brake for wheeled vehicles



W J.N.VALLEY.

I BRAKE FOR WHEELED VEHIGLES.

No. 408,942. Patented Aug. 13, 1889.

WITNESSES:

N, PETERS. Phntc-Llllwgr phen Wauhingmn. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN N. VALLEY, OF JERSEY CITY, NEWV JERSEY.

BRAKE FOR WHEELED VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 408,942, dated August 13, 1889.

Application filed January 25, 1889. Serial No. 297,520. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN N. VALLEY, of Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Brakes for Wheeled Vehicles, of which the following is a, full, clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is to provide a powerful brake of simple and durable construction capable of operation lengthwise of the carriage, which will be positive in its action when applied, and which can be conveniently and expeditiously manipulated; and the invention consists in the combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a carriage mounted upon a section of the track, illustrating the brakes as disengaged from the wheels. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a carriage, illustrating the brake as applied; and Fig. 4 is an end view of Fig. 3, the rail being in section.

The carriage employed in illustrating the application of the brake consists of two end hangers 10, which hangers are bent upon themselves at the top and curve inwardly, as best shown at 11 in Fig. 4, and the lower ends of the hangers, which are provided with a hook 12, are also carried inward to such an extent that the inner face of each hook extremity will be essentially in central alignment with the upper extremity, as best illustrated in Fig. 4.

The two hangers 10 are connected at or near the lower ends by a longitudinal beam or bar 13, attached to their inner faces, and the said hangers at their upper extremities are connected by a similar bar or beam 17, also secured to their inner faces.

Between the upper opposed faces of each hanger a wheel 15 is pivoted, provided with a grooved periphery,which wheels are adapted to travel upon the cylindrical elevated track 16, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. A rod or bar 18 is rigidly secured to the upper surface of the hangers, and upon the under face of the said upper bar 18, at or near the center, a lever 19 is pivoted, adapted to project beyond each side of the said bar, as best illustrated in Fig. 2.

At equal distances from the pivotal point of the lever 19 a brake-rod 20 and 21 is respectively pivoted to the under surface of the said lever 19 at each side of the bar 18, one of which brake-rods 20 is carried outward beneath the bar 18 and over one of the wheels 15, the other brake-rod 21 being carried in similar manner outward over the opposite wheel, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. Upon the outer extremity of each of the brake-rods 20 and 21 a conical brake-shoe 22 is secured or formed integrally therewith, the longitudinal axis of each of the brake-shoes being in the same plane with the longitudinal axis of their respective brake-rods. In this case the hangers 10 are shown curved over the wheels, and thus constitute fixed abutments, between which and the wheels the shoes 22 are wedged when operated for the purpose of braking the carriage.

In operation, when the lever 19 is carried in the direction of either of the wheels 15, the brake-shoes 22 are pushed outward and their reduced or inner ends are brought over the wheels, thereby permitting the said wheels to freely move upon the track. lVhen, how ever, the lever 19 is brought at a right angle to the bar 18, the brake-rods are drawn inward and the brake-shoes likewise, whereupon the outer or enlarged ends of both of the brake-shoes are wedged in the groove of the several wheels and brought to a firm contact with the periphery of the said wheels and the approaching surface of the hangers, as fully illustrated to the right in Fig. 3. When the brake-shoes are in this position, they effectually check the revolution of the wheels and bring the carriage to an almost sudden stop.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination, with the carriage having a fixed abutment and a wheel arranged beneath the latter, of a conical brake-shoe which is arranged between them and slides lengthwise of said carriage, as shown and described.

2. The combination, wi-th a carriage and peripherally-grooved wheels for support-ing it upon a rail, and a brake-rod which extends lengthwise of the carriage and has a conical free end that works between the wheel and a fixed portion of the carriage, of a brake-lever pivoted to the carriage and connected with the brake-rod,as shown and described, to operate as specified.

3. The combination, with a carriage and its two wheels arranged in line beneath fixed portions of the same, of a brake-lever pivoted between the wheels, and two brake-rods attached to the lever and having conical free ends which rest and slide on said Wheels lengthwise of the carriage, as shown and described, whereby the lever operates both rods simultaneously in opposite directions for si multaneously applying or letting off the brakes, as specified.

JOHN N. VALLEY. lVitn esses:

J. F. ACKER, J12, C. SEDGWICK. 

